Early access for Victorians

Most Victorian employees will now get 2 months long service leave after 10 years service, rather than 3 months long service leave after 15 years service.

Employees get pro rata long service leave after 7 years service regardless of whether the employer dismisses the employee or the employee resigns. This applies even if dismissed for serious misconduct.

Employers will not be able to unreasonably refuse an employee taking double leave at half pay.

Paid maternity or paternity leave counts as service for long service leave purposes.

For those of you not in Australia and have no idea about long service leave it is one of those colonial throw backs. Back when most Australians were from England, after 10-15 years of services employees were given 3 months off. Just about the time it took for a boat trip back to “the motherland”, spend a month there and boat trip back to the colonial outpost.